Barista 101

 

Holiday Gift Edition!

For those of you intrigued by my original article on becoming your own barista, but too lazy to make the effort, super-automatic espresso machines are a great alternative. Unfortunately, they are usually cost-prohibitive.

But just in time for the holidays, a sweet deal has turned up at the Whole Latte Love outlet: the Saeco Italia super-automatic for only $435! That's 51% off retail price, and tax and shipping is even included. At the push of one button, this baby will grind your beans, tamp them, and brew a fine shot of espresso. The rapid steam feature allows the user to froth milk with no wait time after pulling a shot, and the machine receives high marks from coffee geeks the world over.

Though the remarkably low price offered here means that you're buying a refurbished unit, Whole Latte Love usually only re-sells equipment that has been returned to them by customers suffering buyer's remorse, rather than because of faulty machinery (even so, everything is factory refurbished). WLL guarantees everything to be in working order and offers a six month warranty. Of course, if you have your own case of buyer's remorse, you can also return it within two weeks of purchase.